Virginia Mall Shooter Apparently Announced Crime in Advance on 4chan

The man arrested today in connection to the shooting of two women at a suburban Virginia mall may have announced his crime minutes in advance on the 4chan message board.

“Sure op. show us what you look like? Name? Address?” an anonymous poster replied 5 minutes after the posting. Minutes later, another anonymous poster chimed in: “guys…this is going on right now.”

The alleged shooter identified himself on the troublemaking /b/ board on 4chan as Neil Macinnis “and I go to new river community college in Christiansburg Virginia,” he said. The man provided his contact information with his posting.

The shootings occurred at a mall in the town of about 21,000 in southwestern Virginia. The two victims were rushed to a local hospital. Their condition was not immediately known. Police were called about 2 p.m. when somebody reported a man with a gun at the community college’s satellite location in the mall.

“I”m a bit nervous because I’ve never really handled a shotgun but a few times with the Christiansburg police,” the alleged gunman wrote, adding: “I’m at school writing this.”